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Self righteousness
Christ to change them into the righteousness of Him.
Nothing you do apart from the power of Christ can save you because it is only through Christ that you are made right with God.
You will never become righteous by following the commands in the bible.
Romans 8:3-4 “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
A self righteous person says, “Well, I would go to my friends party and get drunk with my buddies, but the bible says not to get
drunk, so I guess I won’t.” They are doing an act of righteousness through their own work. They’re not a changed person. They’ve
not been made new in Christ. You don’t get up and say, “I’m going to try my best to be a Christian today.” You can’t try to be
something your not.
You don’t obtain righteousness from your own works of obedience in the law. Your righteousness comes to you through a work
of God because of your faith in Jesus. When a person is born again they don’t seek righteousness through the law, because
righteousness comes from the new person within them which is Christ. You cannot become righteous by following God's law. I
will explain it to you in this way based off of what Paul said in Romans 9:30-32. If you pursue the law of righteousness, you do not
attain to the law of righteousness. Why? Because you do not seek it by faith, but as it were, by works of the law. In other words,
don’t look to the law for righteousness, but put your faith in Christ who will change you into the righteous that is in Him. It is your
trust in Jesus that changes you into true righteousness through Him. You can’t trust in your obedience to the law for salvation.
Galatians 2:21 “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
You must understand that salvation is given to you as a free gift of God’s grace. You cannot earn salvation through your own
works because if salvation was by works than how is it a free gift from God? Paul said in Romans 11:6 “And if by grace, then it is
no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer
work.” Working for salvation would take away from God’s grace and Christ would serve no purpose for us.
Galatians 5:4 “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”
If you are working your way to heaven than you’re never going to get there. Jesus came to end the law for righteousness so that
people would put faith in Him and not in their works. It is ones faith in Christ that makes them righteous.
Romans 10:4 “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
“So if we are righteous because of Jesus then we don’t have to obey the law?” That’s not what Paul is saying. People read this
verse as if Jesus came to do away with the law and we can live however we want to and still go to heaven. That is not even close
to what Paul is talking about. Read the verse people! Christ came to do away with the law for righteousness. Paul is saying that
righteousness is through the working power of Jesus within us and not through our own works of the law.
Paul said in Romans 10:2-3 “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being
ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God.”
If your righteousness is because of who you are trying to be and not because of who you are than the power of God is not
working in you because you have not been saved. A chicken can try to fly and it may even seem like it’s doing a good job at it, but
unless it’s recreated into the likeness of a duck, then it will never naturally fly. Just as a lost person can try to be righteous and
may even seem like they’re doing a good job at it, but unless they are recreated into the likeness of God then they will never be
naturally righteous. Their works are in vain because they are practiced by self righteousness and not by a working power of God
within them. You must perform works of righteousness through the new person you have become in Christ and not though your
own self righteousness.
Galatians 3:3 “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”
Having been born again, is your righteousness made by works of the flesh? Is your desire for perfection made by your own
motivation? If the righteousness or the desire for perfection is of your own works of the flesh and not the power of God within you,
through conversion, than you can have no assurance that the Spirit of God lives inside you.
Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of
Jesus Christ.”
If you have been born again, it is God Who began the good work in your life through conversion and it is God Who will perform it
through the righteousness of Christ within you.
If you have been living in self righteousness than you must repent and trust in Christ to change you into the righteousness in Him.
Nothing you do apart from the power of Christ can save you because it is only through Christ that you are made right with God.
You will never become righteous by following the commands in the bible.
Romans 8:3-4 “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
A self righteous person says, “Well, I would go to my friends party and get drunk with my buddies, but the bible says not to get
drunk, so I guess I won’t.” They are doing an act of righteousness through their own work. They’re not a changed person. They’ve
not been made new in Christ. You don’t get up and say, “I’m going to try my best to be a Christian today.” You can’t try to be
something your not.
You don’t obtain righteousness from your own works of obedience in the law. Your righteousness comes to you through a work
of God because of your faith in Jesus. When a person is born again they don’t seek righteousness through the law, because
righteousness comes from the new person within them which is Christ. You cannot become righteous by following God's law. I
will explain it to you in this way based off of what Paul said in Romans 9:30-32. If you pursue the law of righteousness, you do not
attain to the law of righteousness. Why? Because you do not seek it by faith, but as it were, by works of the law. In other words,
don’t look to the law for righteousness, but put your faith in Christ who will change you into the righteous that is in Him. It is your
trust in Jesus that changes you into true righteousness through Him. You can’t trust in your obedience to the law for salvation.
Galatians 2:21 “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
You must understand that salvation is given to you as a free gift of God’s grace. You cannot earn salvation through your own
works because if salvation was by works than how is it a free gift from God? Paul said in Romans 11:6 “And if by grace, then it is
no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer
work.” Working for salvation would take away from God’s grace and Christ would serve no purpose for us.
Galatians 5:4 “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”
If you are working your way to heaven than you’re never going to get there. Jesus came to end the law for righteousness so that
people would put faith in Him and not in their works. It is ones faith in Christ that makes them righteous.
Romans 10:4 “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
“So if we are righteous because of Jesus then we don’t have to obey the law?” That’s not what Paul is saying. People read this
verse as if Jesus came to do away with the law and we can live however we want to and still go to heaven. That is not even close
to what Paul is talking about. Read the verse people! Christ came to do away with the law for righteousness. Paul is saying that
righteousness is through the working power of Jesus within us and not through our own works of the law.
Paul said in Romans 10:2-3 “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being
ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God.”
If your righteousness is because of who you are trying to be and not because of who you are than the power of God is not
working in you because you have not been saved. A chicken can try to fly and it may even seem like it’s doing a good job at it, but
unless it’s recreated into the likeness of a duck, then it will never naturally fly. Just as a lost person can try to be righteous and
may even seem like they’re doing a good job at it, but unless they are recreated into the likeness of God then they will never be
naturally righteous. Their works are in vain because they are practiced by self righteousness and not by a working power of God
within them. You must perform works of righteousness through the new person you have become in Christ and not though your
own self righteousness.
Galatians 3:3 “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”
Having been born again, is your righteousness made by works of the flesh? Is your desire for perfection made by your own
motivation? If the righteousness or the desire for perfection is of your own works of the flesh and not the power of God within you,
through conversion, than you can have no assurance that the Spirit of God lives inside you.
Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of
Jesus Christ.”
If you have been born again, it is God Who began the good work in your life through conversion and it is God Who will perform it
through the righteousness of Christ within you.
If you have been living in self righteousness than you must repent and trust in Christ to change you into the righteousness in Him.
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